Deep Waters UH Hilo

September 2017

Mele Murals is a documentary about the transformative power of art through the unlikely union of graffiti and ancient Hawaiian culture. At the center of this story are the artists Estria Miyashiro (aka Estria) and John Hina (aka Prime), and a group of Native Hawaiian youth from the rural community of Waimea, HI. Together they create a mural that addresses the ill effects of environmental changes and encroaching modernization on their native culture. Mele Murals shows how public art combined with Native Hawaiian traditions transforms the students, the local community and, unexpectedly, the two artists as they rediscover their own identities and responsibilities as Hawaiian artists.